This invention relates to organizing and preventing the tangling of long flexible members such as electric cords, hoses and the like; and more particularly to means for providing a compliant and shape-retaining member parallel to the hoses or conductors that is bendable to a desired shape and that will hold the desired shape of both the shape-retaining member and the flexible member of which it is a part or to which it is attached.
Long flexible members such as coaxial cables, electric appliance cords, extension cords, and tubing are often springy or elastic. When coiled or positioned in a desired operating configuration, they may spring from that coil or configuration, tangling or interfering with operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,128 issued Dec. 1, 1992 to Thomsen discusses the problem, the prior art, and teaches attaching many rigid sections to the cord to prevent entanglement. Thomsen's invention is advantageous for storing certain cords, but does leave many problems of springy cords unresolved. For example, in open heart surgery there may be four tubes carrying liquid, a vacuum tube and several cords carrying electrical current or signals traversing the operating table. Any movement may cause these to move to an inappropriate location, contaminating the operative field or dropping to the floor. The tubes may have to be individually clipped to the drapes with clamps.
When working with an electrical appliance such as a soldering iron, the electric power cord may inadvertently move onto hot surfaces. A coaxial TV cable may be difficult to position effectively because the woven metal shield makes the cable act like a spring. It is well known in the art to provide an aerial electric cable with a high tensile strength messenger strand to support the weight of the cable between support poles. The strand is generally quite elastic and springy. Consequently these cables tend to be even more springy than those without the messenger strand, but do not pose any problems because of the way in which they are stored on spools and used.